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I LOVED books as a kid. I was reading at a high school level by the time I started kindergarten, and I just absorbed every book I could get my hands on. I would bring a 100-200 page book to school every day and would finish it before I got home in the afternoon.
I also enjoyed writing and would write my own stories. I was part of an organization in elementary school called Young Authors that encouraged kids to write, and I wrote 3 books through that group. It was my dream to be an author one day.
Then the Internet became a thing.
Suddenly, I didn't need to spend hours in a library reading through dozens of books to find information I needed. I could just do a quick search on Infoseek, or Excite, or AskJeeves, and have a repository of knowledge at my fingertips. It was life-changing!
As the Internet evolved and more data got dumped on it, I started spending more time perusing its depths and less time reading physical books. I ended up getting a job in IT because computers fascinated me so much. Eventually, I realized I hadn't picked up a book in years. Everything I wanted to read, I could find online.
Now here I am at 40 years old and my dream of being an author is gone. In our modern age, most people don't read physical books anymore and authors don't make enough to survive, unless they make it on a best-seller list or something. Even Stephen King is more well known today for his political commentary on Twitter/X. I haven't heard much about any books he's been writing in a long time.
I once wanted a library room in my dream home. I still kind of do, for the aesthetic. But I don't really read physical books anymore, and I could only fill maybe a single wall with the books I currently own; mostly treasured classics from my childhood that have been stored away in boxes for years. I'd be better off having a PC gaming/theater room in my dream home, as that's more where my modern interests lie.
I love the Internet age. It revolutionized my childhood and brought us into a wonderful age of information. But I can't help but think about how completely different my life would've been if it hadn't been invented. I sometimes wonder if I would've been more happy and/or successful in a world without the Internet.
I'm younger, but this basically sums up my experience. I still try and make sure to do some (TTRPG) writing every so often just to keep myself sharp.
I used to go through a saga in a couple days. I once reread all of Harry Potter in 6 days. I struggle to finish audio books that I love nowadays
Check out a book called House of Leaves by Danielewski. You pretty much have to have an actual copy.
Very much same. I was an art kid. I painted and wrote and sang and played music, fast forward 30 years and I'm on a computer for 8ish hours at work, then another 8ish hours at home then sleep, with phone time scattered through out.
I kinda feel this way about streaming music. Something has been lost with all the convenience gained. I like streaming. I've heard more electronica and techno and chiptunes that I'd never heard before streaming. I like weird stuff and I get a LOT of it for essentially no cost... But I miss collecting things. Collecting albums and such was more expensive and I got fewer but I miss album art and having a collection of said art.